working your dream job since ’06
As we talked about last week, I love me a good cooking show. What really has my heart in this genre is the competition show. The cooking competition shows combine my love of food and reality game shows.
A friend told me to watch Chopped, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Hey, a competition show is the reason why we have Guy Fieri in our lives – he won the second season of the Next Food Network Star. I find these shows just so deeply compelling. The creativity that comes out of the chefs of all different levels (Worst Cooks in America, anyone?) always astounds me, and I find myself thinking about what I would do if I was given one of the infamous Chopped mystery baskets.
The original Iron Chef
The first of these shows hit North American televisions in 1999 when the Food Network decided to adapt a Japanese show for their network. Ironchef was born. This show completely blew away the ratings for the most popular show on the network at this time, Emeril Live. This spawned a whole bunch of other cooking competition shows that we know and love.
The cooking competition shows that I can’t get enough of these days are Masterchef Junior (which I wrote more about here) and Cutthroat Kitchen. I could watch Alton Brown dole out sabotages for hours and hours on end. And I often do.
I love you, Alton Brown
the reality of it all 
LOVE this show. I’ve definitely expanded my horizons to new cooking competitions since.
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Diners, drive-ins and dives with Guy Fieri is one of the best shows on the food network. But, Cutthroat Kitchen in hilarious. Have you seen the one with twin brothers versus twin brothers? So funny.
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No! but I’ve seen the Chopped episode like that!
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I don’t know what I would do without Guy Fieri… I base at least one of my meals on his show whenever I travel, and he’s never let me down!
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I’ve never been a fan of cooking shows but my mom is obsessed with them! So needless to say, I’m watching them all the time anyway. Be sure to check out ‘Food Fighters’. It’s a great spin to the usual cooking show and the competition is always between a professional and a home chef. Always a great watch.
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Master chef Junior has got to be the best food competition show. It’s nice to see at least one show where the contestants aren’t brought down every episode, and seeing a fatherly side of Gordon Ramsey is awesome.
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I LOVE mcj!!! I’m so glad Nathan won this season.
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I loved watching cooking shows in England and I nothing about Canadian ones. I am going to watch Guy Fieri because of your blog.
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